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Australia: Two leading lights of Godolphin’s powerful Australian operation have been retired to stud in the shape of last year’s champion two-year-old Microphone and his Golden Slipper conqueror Kiamichi.

Microphone went on from his second place in the world's richest juvenile contest to land the Inglis Sires' Produce under Hugh Bowman on Day One of The Championships at Randwick. Having won four times altogether, the son of Exceed And Excel was named Australia's champion two-year-old for 2018-19.

Neither horse has been able to produce the same level of form during the current campaign, though Microphone landed the G2 Autumn Stakes at Caulfield in February before finishing second in the Randwick Guineas.

Microphone will stand alongside his sire at Kelvinside Stud in New South Wales. British champion Too Darn Hot will also shuttle to Kelvinside, while sprint champion Blue Point will spend the southern hemisphere breeding season at Northwood Park in Victoria.

Speaking on godolphin.com, the Dubai team's senior trainer in the region James Cummings said: "Microphone really was a very good, very tough colt who beat all but the winner in the Golden Sipper, and then beat her home in the Sires'.

"His wins in Melbourne were very good and it was a shame to see him just fail in the Randwick Guineas where he beat home horses such as Warning who is a Victoria Derby winner and Castelvecchio who went on to win the Rosehill Guineas."

Kiamichi, a homebred daughter of Sidestep, was a surprise 25-1 winner of the Golden Slipper under Damian Lane as she led home a memorable 1-2-3 for Godolphin.

"She was our first two-year-old winner of the season and she just grew stronger and better as her preparations progressed," Cummings said.

"The Golden Slipper is a race that shapes the breed in Australia and she now gets her chance to contribute to that tradition."

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